Whelen M6A24 User Manual

®

ENGINEERING COMPANY INC.

51 Winthrop Road
Chester, Connecticut 06412-0684
Phone: [phone]

M6 Series LED Lighthead

Installation Guide:

2- & 5-Wire (24 Volt)

Fax: [phone]
Internet: www.whelen.com
Sales e-mail: [e-mail]
Canadian Sales e-mail: [e-mail]
Customer Service e-mail: [e-mail]

Safety First

This document provides all the necessary information to allow your Whelen product to be properly and safely installed.
Before beginning the installation and/or operation of your new product, the installation technician and operator must
read this manual completely. Important information is contained herein that could prevent serious injury or damage.

• Proper installation of this product requires the installer to have a good understanding of automotive electronics,
systems and procedures.

• Failure to use specified installation parts and/or hardware will void the product warranty!

• If mounting this product requires drilling holes, the installer MUST be sure that no vehicle components or other
vital parts could be damaged by the drilling process. Check both sides of the mounting surface before drilling
begins. Also de-burr any holes and remove any metal shards or remnants. Install grommets into all wire
passage holes.

• If this manual states that this product may be mounted with suction cups, magnets, tape or Velcro®, clean the
mounting surface with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water and dry thoroughly.

• Do not install this product or route any wires in the deployment area of your air bag. Equipment mounted or
located in the air bag deployment area will damage or reduce the effectiveness of the air bag, or become a
projectile that could cause serious personal injury or death. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for the air bag
deployment area. The User/Installer assumes full responsibility to determine proper mounting location, based
on providing ultimate safety to all passengers inside the vehicle.

• For this product to operate at optimum efficiency, a good electrical connection to chassis ground must be
made. The recommended procedure requires the product ground wire to be connected directly to the NEGATIVE
(-) battery post.

• If this product uses a remote device to activate or control this product, make sure that this control is located in
an area that allows both the vehicle and the control to be operated safely in any driving condition.

• Do not attempt to activate or control this device in a hazardous driving situation.

• This product contains either strobe light(s), halogen light(s), high-intensity LEDs or a combination of these
lights. Do not stare directly into these lights. Momentary blindness and/or eye damage could result.

• Use only soap and water to clean the outer lens. Use of other chemicals could result in premature lens cracking
(crazing) and discoloration. Lenses in this condition have significantly reduced effectiveness and should be
replaced immediately. Inspect and operate this product regularly to confirm its proper operation and mounting
condition. Do not use a pressure washer to clean this product.

• It is recommended that these instructions be stored in a safe place and referred to when performing
maintenance and/or reinstallation of this product.

• FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO
THE PRODUCT OR VEHICLE AND/OR SERIOUS INJURY TO YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS!

Automotive: Lightheads

For warranty information regarding this product, visit www.whelen.com/warranty

©2009 Whelen Engineering Company Inc.
Form No.14270E (013013)

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5.420"

2.710"

0.25"

0.625"

0.25"

To +VBAT

M6

Lighthead

(2-Wire)

To Ground

LED Color

3A Fuse

SP/ST

M6

Lighthead

(5-Wire)

BLK/WHT

MOUNTING DIMENSIONS

WIRING DIAGRAM

To +VBAT

To +VBAT

To +VBAT

To Ground

WHT/VIO

LED Color

SYNC

M
O
U
N
T

I
N
G

S
U
R
F
A
C
E

#8 x 1"
Sheet Metal
Screw

M6 Assembly

Slotted Hole
Screw Grommet
(note orientation)

Gasket Note - Use the
rubber gasket on flat,
smooth surfaces .
For diamond plate, use

the adhesive-backed
gasket (applied to the
rear of the lighthead).

only

only

VIOLET

BLK/WHT

GREY

1A Fuse

1A Fuse

3A Fuse

SP/ST

SP/ST

MOM. SW

Pattern

SYNC? CA Title XIII?

Phase

1 SignalAlert™ CA PH.1 YES YES
2 SignalAlert™ CA PH.2 YES YES
3 CometFlash®75 PH.1 YES NO
4 CometFlash 75 PH.2 YES NO
5 DoubleFlash 75 PH.1 YES YES
6 DoubleFlash 75 PH.2 YES YES
7 SingleFlash 75 PH.1 YES YES
8 SingleFlash 75 PH.2 YES YES
9 ComAlert™ 75 PH.1 YES NO
10 ComAlert™ 75 PH.2 YES NO
11 LongBurst™ 75 PH.1 YES NO
12 LongBurst™ 75 PH.2 YES NO
13 SingleFlash 60 PH.1 NO YES
14 SingleFlash 90 PH.1 NO YES
15 SingleFlash 120 PH.1 NO YES
16 SingleFlash 300 PH.1 NO NO
17 DoubleFlash 150 PH.1 NO NO
18 ComAlert™ 150 PH.1 NO NO
19 ActionFlash™50 PH.1 NO NO
20 ActionFlash™150 PH.1 NO NO
21 ModuFlash™ PH.1 NO NO
22 DoubleFlash 120 PH.1 NO YES
23 TripleFlash™75 PH.1 NO YES
24 TripleFlash 120 PH.1 NO YES
25 Action SF 60/120 PH.1 NO YES
26 Action SF 60/TF 120 PH.1 NO YES
27 CalScan PH.1 NO YES
28 ActionScan™ PH.1 NO NO

29 SignalAlert Steady PH.1 NO NO
30 Steady PH.1 NO YES

*
*

*No low power for this pattern

CAUTION! DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THESE LEDS WHILE THEY ARE ON.
MOMENTARY BLINDNESS AND/OR E YE DAMAGE COULD RESULT!

IMPORTANT WARNING!

Installation and Wiring:

External Flasher Models: This product draws significantly less current
than a standard incandescent automotive bulb. If your flasher does not
operate properly, it may be necessary to replace your flasher module
with a Whelen® flasher module. Contact your sales representative for
application.

Caution: Permanent mounting of this product will require
drilling. It is absolutely necessary to make sure that no other
vehicle components could be damaged by this process. Check
both sides of the mounting surface before starting. If damage is
likely, select a different location.

WARNING! All customer supplied wires that connect to the
positive terminal of the battery must be sized to supply at least
125% of the maximum operating current and FUSED

at the battery
to carry that load. DO NOT USE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WITH THIS
PRODUCT!

NOTE: The color of the Positive Wire is determined by the color of
the LED. In this manual, RED is used as a reference color.

1. Using the dimensions shown, mark the 2 mounting hole locations

and wire access hole location onto the mounting surface.

2. Drill the two, 0.250” diameter mounting holes and a 0.625”

(minimum) wire access hole into the mounting surface.

3. Place the gasket into position on the rear of the M6 assembly

(see Gasket Note). Insert the slotted hole screw grommet through
the mounting holes on the M6/Gasket assembly.

4. Feed the M6 wires through the wire access hole in the mounting

surface. Press the M6/Gasket/Grommet assembly onto its
mounting location so that it is flat against the mounting surface.

5. With the assembly in position and using the hardware provided,

tighten the mounting screws until the lighthead assembly is
drawn firmly against the mounting surface. A torque value of 12
in-lb. (max.) is typically required to achieve this. DO NOT OVER
TIGHTEN!

6. Using appropriately sized wires (minimum 18 AWG), extend the

M6 wires to their designated connections. Refer to the diagram
below for wiring and fusing information.

Operation:

Flash Mode / RED:

Apply +VBAT to the RED wire to activate the lighthead in “flash mode”.
With flash mode activated, you may change the flash pattern using
Scan-Lock™.

TO CYCLE THROUGH ALL PATTERNS: Apply +VBAT to the WHT/VIO wire for less
than 1 second and release. To cycle backward through patterns apply +VBAT to the
WHT/VIO wire for over 1 second and release.

TO SET A PATTERN AS DEFAULT: Allow the pattern to run for more than 5 seconds.
The lighthead will flicker slightly when the pattern locks in. This flicker may be difficult to
see with some patterns. The lighthead will now display this pattern when activated.

TO RESET TO THE FACTORY DEFAULT PATTERN: Turn off power. While applying
+VBAT to the WHT/VIO wire, turn power on. This will reset the lighthead to it’s factory
default flash pattern.

IMPORTANT! It is the responsibility of the installation technician to make sure
that the installation and operation of this product will not interfere with or
compromise the operation or efficiency of any vehicle equipment!

Low Power / VIOLET:

The type of switch used is dependant on how the operator wishes the
Hi/Lo feature to function:

Latching Mode: By applying +VBAT to the VIOLET wire for less than 1
sec., the lightbar is “latched” into low power operation. The light must
be turned off and then back on to restore normal, Hi power operation.
(A Momentary Switch is Preferred)

Level Mode: Applying +VBAT to the VIOLET wire for more than 1 sec.
holds the lightbar in low power mode until voltage is removed (a toggle
switch is preferred).

SYNC / GREY

To SYNC two lightheads, configure both lightheads to display the same
Phase 1 (Simultaneous) pattern. Turn the power off and connect the
GREY wire from each lighthead together. When the lightheads are acti­vated their patterns will be synchronized. To configure two lightheads
to alternate their patterns, advance the pattern of either lighthead to
Phase 2 (Alternating) of the pattern.

Scan-Lock™ / WHT/VIO / Flash Pattern Selection:

This feature allows the user to select from several available flash
patterns.
The lighthead must be on for Scan-Lock™ to work.

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